Tribute to Peter Summers, who helped save the Dukedog and Foxcote Manor for preservation
PETER Summers, who helped bring the sole-surviving GWR Dukedog 4-4-0 Earl of Berkeley to the Bluebell Railway and was also instrumental in saving WR 4-6-0 No. 7822 Foxcote Manor from Barry scrapyard, has died aged 92.
Peter was born on May 6, 1929, the eldest son of Richard (Dick) Summers and Evelyn Summers. The family business was John Summers & Sons, which owned and operated Shotton Steelworks, and so steam was embedded in Peter’s blood from an early age. He and his brother Tim would spend Sundays at the works on the footplate of one of the many locomotives used on the internal network. Richard, a director of the LMS, would also fix it for the district inspector and his private coach to stop by at Shotton and pick up Peter, Tim, and his parents to go along on track inspection trips, and nearly always a trip on the footplate was involved.
The steelworks was opened in 1896 alongside the main North WalesMerseyside rail line at Hawarden Bridge, and by 1910 seven Hudswell Clarke locomotives were at work.
Between the two world wars the fleet was increased to service two open hearth steelmaking plants, as well as rolling mills and galvanising operations. There were nine 0-4-0s named Vulcan, built in 1900 – Sealand, Planet, Windmill, Venus, Jupiter, Shotton, Mack and Remus – and eight 0-6-0s – Diana, Romulus, Juno, Saturn, Mars, Neptune, Minerva and Vesta. By 1948, the works had 46 miles of track and the internal locomotives were handling 5000 wagons of main line traffic each week.
In the early 1950s, as full integration of the plant was completed, a new marshalling and holding yard called Shotwick Sidings was brought into use, adjacent to the incoming exchange sidings at Dee Marsh junction. The first diesel was introduced into the fleet in 1947 and the last of the steam locomotives was withdrawn in 1958.
Sir Richard Summers was at the controls of BR Standard 9F 2-10-0 No. 92203 (now named Black Prince and based on the North Norfolk Railway) as it steamed into the Dee Marsh Sidings to make BR’s last delivery of iron ore to the works on November 6, 1967. It was captured on canvas by artist Terence Cuneo.
Anniversary
Thirty years later, Peter’s nephew Henry discussed with him the possibility of returning No. 92203 to Shotton to mark the anniversary of that event. A photographers’special was arranged with a private family viewing, at which invited guests able to view No. 92203 at close proximity. However, a planned photographic shoot came to grief when No. 92203 jumped the check rail on the points – and the Llangollen Railway came to the rescue with its 50-ton jacks and to rerail it.
To mark the end of the Summers steam fleet, in 1963 the company presented 1916-built Hudswell Clarke 0-6-0T Vesta to the National Trust’s railway museum at Penrhyn Castle near Bangor, where it can still be seen. Penrhyn also has Hudswell Clarke 0-4-0ST Hawarden, which was built for John Summers & Sons in 1899 and presented to the trust in 1964. It worked at the company’s original works at Stalybridge for many years.
Up to the end of iron and steelmaking in 1980, 26 diesels operated on 70 miles of internal track, moving raw materials, iron and steel in various forms, and scrap arisings. At its peak, the fleet was manned by 80 drivers, 12 spare drivers, and 12 cleaners. The end came after 94 years, when remaining internal standard gauge operations were taken over by BR.
During the 1950s Peter shot 8mm film on the Cheshire and North Wales lines and these ended up on videos and later still DVDs. However, he is perhaps best-known for saving two engines from Barry.
Dukedog No.9017 became the subject of the first ever appeal for funds to purchase a standard gauge locomotive for preservation, with the intention of it being based on the Bluebell Railway, which was the only suitable home for it in 1961. The funds were collected by Tom Gomm, of enamel badges fame, on behalf of the Bluebell.
Oswestry District Traffic Superintendent Oliver Veltom – who had already safeguarded the
“It goes without saying that without Peter’s and Tom Gomm’s visionary outlook, Earl of Berkeley may not be in preservation today...”
survival of Welshpool & Llanfair Light Railway Beyer Peacock 0-6-0Ts Nos. 822 and 823 from the scrapman by keeping them in Oswestry Works from 1956062 – placed No. 9017 in-store at Oswestry through 1961 to give time for the funds to be raised through the initial appeal. However, because there were still thousands of steam locomotives on the UK network, the appeal failed and Tom – with assistance from Peter, who also covered the cost of transport to the Bluebell – stepped in to fund the difference between the sum raised and the asking price, and then they placed the locomotive on permanent loan to the Bluebell. The locomotive has now been donated to the line, with the requirement that it is to be permanently based there.
Foxcote was withdrawn in November 1965 from Shrewsbury and was towed to Woodham Brothers scrapyard. It languished there until 1974 when it was rescued by the Foxcote Manor Society, which had been formed two years earlier. Peter stepped in to guarantee and secure a loan that rescued No. 7822 from Barry.
Lifetime passion
It was initially taken to Oswestry (site of the Cambrian Railway Society) for restoration work, but moved in 1985 to the Llangollen Railway, for which Peter had a lifelong love.
Peter – who was fluent in Welsh and German – was vice president of the Foxcote Manor Society for several years and also a lifelong member of the Ffestiniog Railway. He spent best part of 25 years with his nephew on steam charters, visiting narrow and standard gauge railways all over the country.
As a surprise treat for Peter on his 80th birthday, Henry and Peter’s brother, Bill Summers, arranged for a day out on the Severn Valley Railway with the Dukedog in traffic on a private charter going up and down the line in the director’s saloon. Another surprise was a footplate ride on No. 9017.
Henry said: “One personal memory I have is that we were behind Princess Elizabeth attacking the southbound gradient and we were told it was the driver’s last turn before retirement and that he’d be putting on a bit of a show! As the locomotive started the arduous climb, I saw Peter looking at his wristwatch and tapping his arm; I thought better of it to keep quiet as he was up to something.
“As we crossed over the summit, he proudly announced that we’d gone over the top at an astonishing 52mph and this was pretty much spot-on because we asked the driver at Crewe upon leaving the train.
“He explained that he counted the time between crossing over the rail links and the clickety-click noise enabled him to work out the speed. I am sure that the locomotive was being double-fired!
Visionaries
“It goes without saying that without Peter’s and Tom Gomm’s visionary outlook, Earl of Berkeley may not be in preservation today were it not for their actions to step in and save the Dukedog from the gas axe.
“I brought Peter last down to the Bluebell when the loan of No. 9017 was turned into it being donated to the Bluebell following the last (now expired) boiler ticket.
“It was very sad that Tom was not alive to see the splendour of the engine, but we had a wonderful day at the railway and enjoyed fabulous hospitality. “
Cheshire-born Peter, whose last years were spent around Winsford, leaves wife Gillian, and children Julie, Stephanie, Jeremy, and Tim, as well as six grandchildren and six great grandchildren.